Colonization and Early Human Migrations in the Insular Russian Far East: A View From the Mid-2010s

The current status of research on colonization and early migration in the insular part of the Russian Far East is presented. Based on a critical evaluation of the latest data, it is concluded that the initial colonization of Sakhalin Island occurred at ca. 19,500 BP and possibly earlier, but no solid evidence has yet been found to determine this with more precision. The movement of people from neighboring Hokkaido (northern Japan) to Sakhalin continued throughout the Paleolithic-Neolithic since ca. 10,000 BP with the help of maritime transport. In the Middle-Late Neolithic, ca. 5200-4400 BP, migration from the adjacent mainland (via the lower reaches of the Amur River) to Sakhalin is detected. The southern part of the Kurile Archipelago was initially colonized from Hokkaido in the Early Jomon (i.e., Neolithic) at ca. 7200-7000 BP; the northern part was subsequently settled possibly as early as ca. 5300 BP. Active contacts between Hokkaido and the Kurile Islands continued throughout and after the Jomon period. The identification of obsidian sources used by inhabitants on Sakhalin and the Kuriles has created a solid foundation for examining the direction and timing for initial colonization and other population dispersals.